Rope thimble



Patented Feb. 6, 1940 rATENT oFFicE ROPE THIMBLE Earle J. Mardis, Chicago, Ill.

March 24,

13 Claims.

' This invention relates to a thimble for wire rope'and, more particularly, to an improved rope thimble that will insure equal loading on each of the strands of the rope.

Various types of rope clamps or thimbles have been suggested and vcommercially used. Most of these types, especially that commonly known as the wedge socket type have not proved very successful in that the wedge produces a greater bearing force against one or more strands of the rope, `which results in a greater portion of the load being carried by those strands. Such a condition causes an unbalanced loadv on the strands of the ropev which is, of course, very undesirable.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved rope thimble whichwill bear equally on each of the strands of the rope.

It is another object of this invention to provide a rope thimble which will securely hold the extreme dead end of the rope while the looped adjacent portion toward the live end thereof is threaded and properly placed under tension in the thimble clamp. y

. Various other objects'and advantages of my invention will more fully appear during the course ofthe following specification and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, kI have shown, for the purpose of illustration, one preferred embodiment and a slight modification thereof which my invention may assumein practice.

In the drawing: l.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing the improved rope thimble of the preferredformof my invention assembled on 'the end of a rope;

Figure 2 is a plan thereof;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view similar to Figure 2 show- Application ing a slightly modi'ed construction of the rope thimble of my invention; and,

vFigure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line vV-V of Figure 4. l

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the v preferred embodiment of the improved rope thimble of my invention, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, comprises a plate-like member 2 having a thin body portion 3 diverging outwardly into a thickened semi-circular shaped outer end portion 4 having a groove 5 arranged in the edge around the periphery thereof.

There is provided a co-acting plate-like membe'r 6 of substantially the same thickness as the thin body portion 3 of the plate-like member 2 which is adapted to abut against the inner edge 1939, serial No. 264,045

of the thickened portion 4 thereof. The platelike member 2 has grovoes l 'and'la on the inner surface thereof which correspond with grooves 3 and 8a, respectively, on the inner surfaceof the plate-like member 6 and are adapted to lreceive af rope 9. The corresponding grooves l and 8 on the side of the thimble adapted to hold the live end of the rope have preferably a smooth surface while the correspondinggrooves Ia and 8a on that side of the thimble adapted to hold the rope toward the dead end thereof are preferably corrugated or otherwise provided with suitable means for gripping the same.v The plate-like member is held in co-acting relationship with the plate '2, preferably by means of machine screws or suitable bolts III placed along the edges and in the center thereof and it will be understood that the two plate-like members are adapted to hold the rope therebetween toward the live end thereof. 'The inner edge of the plate-like member 6 is preferably cut away as at I2 so as to receive a substantially rectangularly shaped segmental plate-like member I3. This segmental member I3 preferably has a corrugated groove `I4 arranged on the inner surface thereof and is adapted tol. co-act with the plate-'like member 2 to securely hold and clamp the extreme end o-f the dead end of the rope, preferably by means of machine screws I5 placed on each side thereof.

'I'he thickened end portion 4 has preferably a 30 hole I6 arranged therein, for thimble attachment purposes, and is positioned preferably in align ment with the live end of the rope. This hole I6 is preferably lined by meansof a suitable removable bushing member I1.

InFigures 4 and 5 there is shown a slight modication of the improved rope thimble of the present invention. This modified construction is rsimilar to the preferred construction but instead of using a segmental plate-like member I3 in the :40 inner cut-away edge portion at I2 of the co-acting plate-like member 6, a pair of U-bolts I3 are l provided for co-acting with the plate-like member E for holding the rope toward the dead end thereof. It jwill be understood, of course, that .45 vany other suitable `bolts or means may be provided 'for co-acting with the plate-like member 2 to Vhold'tlieend. of the rope toward the' dead end thereof in place of the segmental member I3 or 'the Ubolts I8. In this construction the50 co-acting plate-like member E preferably has arranged therewith an outer extending lug portion I9 which is adapted to extend to one side of the live end of the rope into the eut-away portion at I2 so as to provide a means for receiving 2111,55

additional machine screw or clamping bolt 20, as is clearly shown in Figure 4; of the drawings.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that there is provided a relatively thin and iiat rope thimble, and that the dead end of the rope can be securely clamped in position by means of the segmental clamp I3 or U-bolts i8 and the adjacent portion oi the rope toward the live end thereof threaded or looped under tension between the plate-like members 5 and and securely clamped therebetween without any damage thereto. It will also be seen that the rope thimble of this invention `is clamped securely over substantially the entire loop of the rope, thereby eliminating the danger o any slippage or distortion whatsoever of any of the strands or ,that part of the rope looped around the thimble.

The present application is a continuation-inpart oi applicants copending application, Serial No. 202,347, nled April l5, 1938.

While I have, in this application, specincally shown and described one embodiment and a modification thereof which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustratien and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A rope thimbleconsisting of three plate-like members, one of said members adapted to co-act with another of said members to securely hold the dead end oi a rope, and the third one of said members adapted to co-act with said first-mentioned member to securely hold the adjacent portion of the rope toward the live end thereof, said second and. third members being disposed substantially in the same plane.

2. A rope thimble comprising a plate-like member having a thin body portion and a thickened end portion, a co-acting plate-like member adapted to abut against the thickened portion of the first-mentioned member and. a segmental member disposed substantially in the same plane with that of said second-mentioned member which. adapted to co-act with said first-mentioned plate member to securely hold the dead end of a rope, said second-mentioned member adapted to co-act with said nist-mentioned member to securelyhold the adjacent portion of the rope toward the live end thereof.

3. A rope thimble comprising a plate-dike men*- ber having a thin body portion diverging outwardly into a thickened end portion, a plate-like member adapted to co-act with the thin body portion of said first-mentioned plate-like member in abutting relationship with the thickened portion thereof, and a segmental plate member adapted to iit in the inner edge of said last-mentioned plate-like member, said last-mentioned plate-like member and segmented platedike member adapted to co-act with said first-mentioned plate-like member to securely hold the end of a rope therebetween.

4. A rope thimble comprising a plate-like member having a thin body portion diverging outwardly into an end portion having a thickness substantially twice that of the thin portion, a 3o-acting plate-like member having a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the thin body portion of the nist-mentioned member, and a segmental plate-like member adapted to fit in the inner edge of said second plate-like member and ro-acting with said nist-mentioned member to securely hold the dead end of a rope, said secondmentioned plate-like member adapted to abut against the thickened end portion of the rstmentioned member and to co-act therewith to securely hold the adjacent portion of the rope toward the live end thereof.

5. A rope thimble consisting of three plate-like members, two of said members disposed in substantially the same plane and adapted to cooperate with the third member to securely hold a rope therebetween.

6. A rope thimble comprising a plate-like member, a co-acting similar plate-like member consisting of two separate parts oppositely disposed from said first-mentioned member, one of said parts adapted to cooperate with said first-mentioned member to securely hold a rope therebetween' toward the live end thereof and the other part adapted to cooperate with said first-mentioned member to securely hold the rope toward the dead end thereof.

7. A rope thimble comprising a plate-like member `having a pair of spaced apart grooves arranged in one face longitudinally thereof, a similar plate-like member consisting of at least separate parts disposed oppositely from said similaiplate-like member disposed oppositely;

from said first-mentioned member having a portion thereof cut away, said second-mentioned member having a pair of similar spaced apart grooves longitudinally arranged in the i ace tb ereof opposite the grooves in the irstmentioned member, and a third plate-like member disposed in said cut-away portion of said second-nientioned member, said third plate-like member having a single similar groove arranged therein opposite one of the grooves in said first-mentioned I member, both of said second and third-mentioned members adapted to cooperate with said rstmentioned member to retain a rope therebetween.

9. A rope thimble comprising a plate-like member having a pair of spaced apart grooves arranged in one face thereof and a thickened end l portion around which the rope is adapted to pass, a co-acting plate-like member consisting of two separate parts disposed oppositely from said rstmentioned member, one of said parts-abuttingl against said thickened end portion of said iii-stmentioned member and having a pair of similar spaced apart grooves arranged therein opposite from those of said inst-mentioned member, and

the other part thereof having a single similar, 3

groove arranged therein disposed oppositely from one of the grooves in said tiret-mentioned member, the first-mentioned part of said secondmentioned member adapted to cooperate'with said inst-mentioned member to securely hold that portion oi the rope toward the live end thereci and the second-mentioned part adapted to securely hold that portion of the rope toward the dead end thereof.

l0. A rope thimble comprising a plate-like` Til endthereof, and another member disposed on thel same side of the rope as said last mentioned member and adapted to cooperate with seid plate-like y membertoy securely hold the rope therebetweeny j toward the live end thereof.

toward the dead end thereof. 1

11. A rope thimble comprising a `plete-like member adapted torbe disposed on one side ofw the rope,A a co-aoting, similar plate-like member adapted to be vdisposed. on .the opposite side of the rope from seidA first-mentioned member, seid seoond-mentioned plate-like member adapted to oooperete with said inst-mentioned member torsecurely hold the rope therebetween toward the live end thereof, and means independent of said seeond-mentioned member adapted to be disposed on the seme side of the rope as said second-mentioned plate-like .member and which is adapted tocooperate with said First-mentioned member tofsecvurely hold the rope therebetween toward the dead end thereof.

12. A rope lthmble comprising a. plate-like member, a vco-dcting similar plate-like member oppositely disposed from said 'first-mentioned vmember having an opening in the edge thereof,

seid second-mentioned member `adapted to lcooperate With said rst-mentoned member to securely hold a lrope therebetween toward the ive 'end thereof, endanother vmember disposed inthe opening of seid second-mentioned member which is adapted to cooperate with said first-mentioned member to securely hold the rope therebetween 13. Afrope -thimble comprising@ plateiike member adapted to be disposed onone side of the' rope, a co-aoting plete-like member adapted to be disposed on the opposite side or" the rope vfrom seid inst-mentioned plate-like member, said seo-` ond-mentioned plate-like member adapted to oooperate with seid mst-mentioned plate-like mem- ;ber to securely hold the rope therebetween toward the live end thereof, at least one U-bvolt member adapted to be disposed on the same side of the' rope es seid second-,mentioned plete-like member end which is adapted to cooperate with vseid first-mentioned plate-1ike memberto securely hold the Vseme therebetween toward the dead end' thereof.

' `EARLr-z J. MARDIs. 

